Beware: Don’t Compare

Most runners and swimmers aren’t chasing an Olympic or world record. Most are competing against themselves to achieve their personal best. We have to help our students take on that same mindset when they start comparing themselves to other students. Have you heard any of these statements from your child?

“Everyone is done before me.”
“I studied longer but got a worse grade.”
“Everyone seems to understand it but me.”

It’s natural for students to compare themselves to other students, but for most students it’s best if they don’t. On the one hand, a little competition might drive a student to work harder and achieve more. On the other hand, and more often than not, it can leave one child feeling badly about themself. Help your child stay focused on doing their very best work day in and day out. In fairness, they have no idea what’s going on in the mind or experience of another student. Remind them that because we all learn differently and we all take in and absorb information at different rates and in different ways, the only student worth comparing themself to is … themself. They should aim to take positive steps along their own continuum to achieve their personal best.